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Introduction
The term cyber-physical systems (CPS) refers to a new generation of systems with integrated
computational and physical capabilities that can interact with humans through many new modalities.
The ability to interact with, and expand the capabilities of, the physical world through computation,
communication, and control is a key enabler for future technology developments. Opportunities and
research challenges include the design and development of next-generation airplanes and space
vehicles, hybrid gas-electric vehicles, fully autonomous urban driving, and prostheses that allow brain
signals to control physical objects.
Over the years, systems and control researchers have pioneered the development of powerful system
science and engineering methods and tools, such as time and frequency domain methods, state space
analysis, system identification, filtering, prediction, optimization, robust control, and stochastic control.
At the same time, computer science researchers have made major breakthroughs in new programming
languages, real-time computing techniques, visualization methods, compiler designs, embedded
systems architectures and systems software, and innovative approaches to ensure computer system
reliability, cyber security, and fault tolerance. Computer science researchers have also developed a
variety of powerful modeling formalisms and verification tools. Cyber-physical systems research aims to
integrate knowledge and engineering principles across the computational and engineering disciplines
(networking, control, software, human interaction, learning theory, as well as electrical, mechanical,
chemical, biomedical, material science, and other engineering disciplines) to develop new CPS science
and supporting technology.
In industrial practice, many engineering systems have been designed by decoupling the control system
design from the hardware/software implementation details. After the control system is designed and
verified by extensive simulation, ad hoc tuning methods have been used to address modeling
uncertainty and random disturbances. However, the integration of various subsystems, while keeping
the system functional and operational, has been time-consuming and costly. For example, in the
automotive industry, a vehicle control system relies on system components manufactured by different
vendors with their own software and hardware. A major challenge for original equipment manufacturers
(OEMs) that provide parts to a supply chain is to hold down costs by developing components that can be
integrated into different vehicles.
The increasing complexity of components and the use of more advanced technologies for sensors and
actuators, wireless communication, and multicore processors pose a major challenge for building nextgeneration vehicle control systems. Both the supplier and integrator need new systems science that
enables reliable and cost-effective integration of independently developed system components. In
particular, theory and tools are needed for developing cost-effective methods to: (1) design, analyze,
and verify components at various levels of abstraction, including the system and software architecture
levels, subject to constraints from other levels; (2) analyze and understand interactions between the
vehicle control systems and other subsystems (engine, transmission, steering, wheel, brake, and
suspension); and (3) ensure safety, stability, and performance while minimizing vehicle cost to the
From: The Impact of Control Technology, T. Samad and A.M. Annaswamy (eds.), 2011. Available at www.ieeecss.org.
consumer. Increasingly, new functionality and the cost of vehicle control systems are major differentiating factors for business viability in automobile manufacturing.
Need for CPS Research
CPS research is still in its infancy. Professional and institutional barrier have resulted in narrowly
defined, discipline-specific research and education venues in academia for the science and engineering
disciplines. Research is partitioned into isolated subdisciplines such as sensors, communications and
networking, control theory, mathematics, software engineering, and computer science. For example,
systems are designed and analyzed using a
variety of modeling formalisms and tools. Each
Although the diversity of models and
representation highlights certain features and
formalisms supports a componentdisregards others to make analysis tractable.
Typically, a particular formalism represents either
based divide and conquer approach
the cyber or the physical process well, but not
to CPS development, it poses a
both. Whereas differential equations are used for
serious problem for verifying the
modeling physical processes, frameworks such as
overall correctness and safety of
Petri nets and automata are used to represent
discrete behavior and control flows. Workforce
designs at the system level.
expertise is similarly partitioned, to the detriment
of productivity, safety, and efficiency. Although
this approach to modeling and formalisms may suffice to support a component-based divide and
conquer approach to CPS development, it poses a serious problem for verifying the overall correctness
and safety of designs at the system level and component-to-component physical and behavioral
interactions [1]. In the following paragraphs, research needs in CPS are briefly discussed.
Abstraction and Architectures
Innovative approaches to abstraction and architectures that enable seamless integration of control,
communication, and computation must be developed for rapid design and deployment of CPS. For
example, in communication networks, interfaces have been standardized between different layers.
Once these interfaces have been established, the modularity allows specialized developments in each
layer. The overall design allows heterogeneous systems to be composed in plug-and-play fashion,
opening opportunities for innovation and massive proliferation of technology and the development of
the Internet. However, the existing science and engineering base does not support routine, efficient,
robust, modular design and development of CPS. Standardized abstractions and architectures are
urgently needed to fully support integration and interoperability and spur similar innovations in cyberphysical systems [2].
Distributed Computations and Networked Control
The design and implementation of networked control systems pose several challenges related to timeand event-driven computing, software, variable time delays, failures, reconfiguration, and distributed
decision support systems. Protocol design for real-time quality-of-service guarantees over wireless
networks, tradeoffs between control law design and real-time-implementation complexity, bridging the
gap between continuous and discrete-time systems, and robustness of large systems are some of the
challenges for CPS research. Frameworks, algorithms, methods, and tools are needed to satisfy the high
reliability and security requirements for heterogeneous cooperating components that interact through a
complex, coupled physical environment operating over many spatial and temporal scales.
needed that are dynamically reconfigured, distributed, and can interact with patients and caregivers in
complex environments. For example, devices such as infusion pumps for sedation, ventilators and
oxygen delivery systems for respiration support, and a variety of sensors for monitoring patient
condition are used in many operating rooms. Often, these devices must be assembled into a new system
configuration to match specific patient or procedural needs. The challenge is to develop systems and
control methodologies for designing and operating these systems that are certifiable, safe, secure, and
reliable.
Research challenges in medical technology and healthcare were considered in a series of workshops that
are summarized in a U.S. National Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) report
[4]. The report recommends research for new system science and engineering with the following goals:
Distributed monitoring, distributed control, and real-time wireless networks for hospital
intensive-care facilities;
Certification methods for medical device software and systems and networked patient
monitoring and assistance;
Another challenging area for CPS research is cognition and neuroscience for understanding the
fundamental principles of human motor functions and exploiting this understanding in engineered
systems. Examples include brain-machine interfaces, therapeutic and entertainment robotics, orthotics
and exoskeletons, and prosthetics. Humans and animals seamlessly integrate sensing, computing, and
motor control functions. These highly coupled systems do not satisfy simple modularity principles, but
are composed of multifunctional elements, computation, and feedback loops at different time and
length scales, noisy signals, parallel processing, and redundant fault-tolerant architectures. Recent
research has suggested that animals use some form of optimal filtering, stochastic control algorithms,
and large-scale probabilistic computing structures in dealing with uncertainty. Control researchers
working with biologists, neurophysiologists, and computer scientists may be able to make further
progress.
Next-Generation Air Transportation Systems (NextGen)
Cyber-physical systems research is likely to have an impact on the design of future aircraft and air traffic
management systems, as well as on aviation safety. Specific research areas include (1) new functionality
to achieve higher capacity, greater safety, and more efficiency, as well as the interplay and tradeoffs
among these performance goals; (2) integrated flight deck systems, moving from displays and concepts
for pilots to future (semi)autonomous systems; (3) vehicle health monitoring and vehicle health
management; and (4) safety research relative to aircraft control systems. One of the key technical
challenges to realizing NextGen involves verification and validation of complex flight-critical systems
with a focus on promoting reliable, secure, and safe use for NextGen operations. As the complexity of
systems increases, costs related to verification and validation and safety assurance will likely increase
the cost of designing and building next-generation vehicles. The broader aeronautics community has
identified verification and validation methodologies and concepts as a critical research area [5].
The goals of research in verification and validation of aviation flight-critical systems include providing
methods for rigorous and systematic high-level validation of system safety properties and requirements,
from initial design through implementation, maintenance, and modification, as well as understanding
tradeoffs between complexity and verification methods for supporting robustness and fault tolerance.
Some of the control engineering challenges include:
Data fusion from heterogeneous sensors and assessment of the value of the derived
information.
Conclusions
Cyber-physical systems are expected to play a major role in the design and development of future
engineering systems with new capabilities that far exceed todays levels of autonomy, functionality,
usability, reliability, and cyber security. Advances in CPS research can be accelerated by close
collaborations between academic disciplines in computation, communication, control, and other
engineering and computer science disciplines, coupled with grand challenge applications.
Selected recommendations for research in cyber-physical systems:
Standardized abstractions and architectures that permit modular design and development
of cyber-physical systems are urgently needed.
CPS applications involve components that interact through a complex, coupled physical
environment. Reliability and security pose particular challenges in this contextnew
frameworks, algorithms, and tools are required.
Future cyber-physical systems will require hardware and software components that are
highly dependable, reconfigurable, and in many applications, certifiable . . . and trustworthiness must also extend to the system level.
References
[1] A. Rajhans, S.W. Cheng, B. Schmerl, B.H. Krogh, C. Aghi, and A. Bhave, An Architectural Approach to the
Design and Analysis of Cyber-Physical Systems, Third International Workshop on Multi-Paradigm Modeling,
Denver, CO, October 2009.
[2] S. Graham, G. Baliga, and P.R. Kumar, Abstractions, Architecture, Mechanism, and Middleware for Networked
Contro,l IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, vol. 54, no. 7, pp. 1490-1503, July 2009.
[3] Presidents Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Leadership Under Challenge: Information
Technology R&D in a Competitive World [Online], Aug. 2007. Available at
http://www.nitrd.gov/Pcast/reports/PCAST-NIT-FINAL.pdf.
[4] Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program. High-Confidence Medical
Devices: Cyber-Physical Systems for 21st Century Health Care [Online], Feb. 2009. Available at
http://www.nitrd.gov/About/MedDevice-FINAL1-web.pdf
[5] National Science and Technology Council. National Aeronautics Research and Development Plan [Online], Feb.
2010. Available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/aero-rdplan-2010.pdf.
Note: Any opinion, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the
authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.